The hollow shell of Labour

Published Tue 14 Apr 2009

Issue No. 2147

One of the first scandals to hit the New Labour government came in 1998. Members of Tony Blair’s inner circle were caught on tape boasting about how they could sell access to government ministers and create tax breaks for their clients.

Derek Draper bragged, “There are 17 people who count in this government. And to say I am intimate with every one of them is the understatement of the century.”

The case shone a light on the grubby world of New Labour spin. It wasn’t just about controlling the media – it was also about how they would look after the rich while doing it.

All that was supposed to change under Gordon Brown, but instead Peter Mandelson, Alistair Campbell and even Derek Draper are back. And once again a sleazy scandal throws light on the real nature of Labour.

New Labour believes it is going to lose the next election, so it wants to discredit the Tories.

The scandal tells us how bereft of ideas Labour is. Rather than offering anything concrete to improve the lives of ordinary people, it would rather spread dirt about leading Tories having sexually transmitted diseases and affairs.

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